<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">How To Spend A Life<div class=""><br class=""> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><i style="font-size: 14px;" class="">for Rafael Jesus Gonzalez <br class=""> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>First Poet Laureate of<br class=""> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Berkeley, California <br class=""></i> <br class=""> <br class=""> Sometimes a poet parts the laurel <br class=""> to disturb the peace<br class=""> to make peace.<br class=""><br class=""> That poet never leaves out justice, or freedom or truth<br class=""> from a poem<br class=""> but flows refugee love water<br class=""> from the cracks in<br class=""> everything, <br class=""><br class=""> invites in the moon to witness<br class=""> and reveal imprisoned wisdom<br class=""> in the dark wells of ignorance,<br class=""><br class=""> liberates the constellations so their stories<br class=""> can circle endlessly remything and reimagining<br class=""> from sorrows and joys <br class=""> beetling green through charred remains<br class=""> of an earth on fire.<br class=""> <br class=""> Tall trees root in hearts that attract wild birds.<br class=""> Life becomes a forest of singers.<br class=""> Summoned by the accelerating song,<br class=""> great inner bridges rise up.<br class=""> <br class=""> A skein of angels flies by<br class=""> from the poet’s hands. <br class=""> The poet runs with coyotes <br class=""> through his poetry hood,<br class=""> undoing spells of doubt and fear,<br class=""> endeepening the world,<br class=""> tossing out coins of hope,<br class=""> spending his entire fortune of flowering words <br class=""> for us.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Gail Onion</div></div></body></html>